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Kent State Hosts its Inaugural Neuroscience Symposium on April 29

Posted Apr. 22, 2013

Kent State University hosts its inaugural Neuroscience Symposium “The Neuroscience of Mental Health” on April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva on the Kent Campus. The purpose of this symposium is to bring together nationally renowned neuroscience researchers, clinical practitioners, students and the public to discuss leading-edge university research on mechanisms underlying mood and addiction, injury, disease and the brain. The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

With nearly 40 neuroscientists working across multiple departments, Kent State conducts research in molecular biology to behavior, producing interdisciplinary research on neurological diseases and conditions including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic street disorder, the effects of aging, addiction and pain management.

“This symposium provides a venue for exchange of the scientific ideas that must take place to solve and treat these critical healthcare problems,” said Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D., Kent State’s vice president for research.

The symposium’s morning keynote speaker is Randy Nelson, Ph.D., Brumbaugh Chair in Brain Research and Teaching; professor and chair, Department of Neuroscience; and distinguished professor, College of Medicine, at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He has published more than 350 research papers and several books describing studies in seasonality, behavioral endocrinology, biological rhythms, immune function, sex behavior and aggressive behaviors.

Nelson’s presentation, “Effects of Light at Night on Neuroinflammation, Metabolism and Mood,” will provide insight into the disruptive effects of light at night on several core clock genes and the resulting neuroinflammation, which may be a potent mechanism through which light at night affects mood and food intake.

The evening keynote speaker is Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor and director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over the past 17 years, he has focused his research on the effect of sport-related concussion on balance and neuropsychological function in high school and collegiate athletes, and the long-term neurological issues related to playing sports. In 2011, he was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

In his keynote, “Making Sport Safer Through Innovative Science,” Guskiewicz will discuss how to better understand the long-term consequences of concussive and sub-concussive impacts to athletes.

The symposium features invited presentations from nationally renowned neuroscientists, including J. David Glass, Ph.D., Kent State; Colleen McClung, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; and Michela Marinelli, Ph.D., Rosalind Franklin University; Stephen Rao, Ph.D., Cleveland Clinic; John Gunstad, Ph.D., Kent State; and Jennifer Vasterling, Ph.D., Boston University. Panel discussions will be held at the end of each session. A reception will be held in the Kent Student Center Ballroom Balcony from 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Photo of Randy Nelson:
Randy Nelson, Ph.D., will give the morning keynote presentation at the inaugural Neuroscience Symposium at Kent State University on April 29. Nelson will provide insight into the disruptive effects of light at night on several core clock genes and the resulting neuroinflammation, which may be a potent mechanism through which light at night affects mood and food intake.

Photo of Kevin Guskiewicz:Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., will give the evening keynote presentation at the inaugural Neuroscience Symposium at Kent State University on April 29. Guskiewicz will discuss how to better understand the long-term consequences of concussive and sub-concussive impacts to athletes.